Wednesday, July 25, 2007

A brief break

Hey! We are taking a one week break as we just published the first issue of our zine Z Gun. It is 40 pages with interviews with and stuff on the Brainbombs, Not Not Fun Records, San Francisco art punk of the 70s/80s, Pink Reason, tons of reviews and more. The price is very reasonable. Reviews so far:

Saturday, July 14, 2007

The Drags - Trailer Park Family

The Drags Trailer Park Family EP (Devour, 1994)

Not to be confused with the more well known Drags from Albuquerque, this four piece hailed from Citrus Heights, California, a suburb of Sacramento. The label is from Boston. I am sure that dollar bins of Northern California and Eastern Massachusetts are familiar with this record. Why? Because three out of four of the songs on it either are mediocre or outright suck. The last one, however, is a nice piece of bar-chorded hate, which sits fine by itself. The catch is you have to suffer through the title cut, Panu the Drunk Hindu, and Bowlegged Baby to get to You're so Ugly. The titles should tell you that these guys weren't big on deep thought. The photo on the back of the typical beer drinking sub-punks fronted by a long-hair in a Ramones t-shirt firm up that impression. Saw these guys live a couple times and they were moronically good. Frontman Honeyboy Wilson (AKA Jason Dancer) later turned up in The Infections, of Rip Off Records fame. This is from their second 7". --Scott S

Sunday, July 08, 2007

The Devil Dogs - LBMF

The Devil Dogs LBMF EP (Headache, 1994)

I know, I know, the Devil Dogs are surely not an obscure band by any means, they might actually be one of the few bands that had a sort of semi-significant presence outside the strict confines of 90s garage punk. You know, a Rocket From the Crypt or Misfits fan would have one of their CDs lost somewhere under the front seat of their VW. Boy tho', they sure were a polarizing bunch for garage types (then and now), warn't they? For some folks, when they are evoking the term "garage fonzies" (which are those rockin' purists who can't stand any aural cultural input into their party tuneage that's identifiably post-Monterey Pop Festival at the latest) they are thinking of these guys, or more probably, their fan base. It's the occasional horn chart, or the "aw-BAY-buh!" vocal style, or their fucking hair styles, I dunno, but I think it's largely a bum rap. True, their colors run to a synthesis of late 50s greaser and mid-60s chart-bound muscle-pop but their stuff is a lot less determinedly retro than the Cramps of the same era, say. Or Rancid for that matter. Plus if you go through their choices for cover material you are as likely to run into 1977 as 1964. It's not enough to merely rock I suppose for some insecure types who need a whole lifeplan-affirming superstructure to drape themselves over, but rock is about all the Devil Dogs ever did.

It's my recollection that this was the last vinyl to come out while the Devil Dogs were still active, I think they broke up right before or after this thing came out. And look, it's on that Jersey label Headache that's mostly known for hops-worshipping, knuckle-bustin' oi-boy folderol. Don't let the party beat your ass on the way out! -Ryan W.

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